★★★★ Waiting for a Prince by K.C. Wells ★★★★

When trainee hairdresser Mark sees Sam for the first time in the salon, it’s lust at first sight. Sam is Mark’s living, breathing fantasy guy. He couldn’t be more perfect. Of course, there’s the tiny, insignificant detail that Sam has a girlfriend. Hell….. A chance meeting on Mark’s favourite beach brings the two men together, and Mark finds himself with a new friend. As they spend more time together, Mark grows to see Sam less as an object for his lust and more as someone who just… fits. But falling in love with your new best friend—especially when he’s straight—is bound to bring heartache in the end.

Sam likes Mark. As in, he really likes him. And he’d like to get to know him even better. But Sam has secrets. There are things going on in his life that he can’t bring himself to tell Mark about, because the shame Sam feels is too much to bear, and not something he ever wants to share with another living soul. And if Mark ever finds out how Sam really feels about him, and the fact that he’s lied to him…. Sam can’t take that chance.

Then one drunken night in the pub changes everything…

So what did I think?

This is a lovely story. It is emotional and touches on some serious issues but also with some fabulous sex scenes between the wonderful leading men! There were a couple of elements to this story that made this book stand out from other friends-to-lovers stories.

Mark is a trainee hairdresser and not totally satisfied with his life. He lives in a small town without much chance of meeting his ‘Mr. Right’ and so far has only experienced casual hook ups when he travels to seek these out. When he sees Sam, who is accompanying his girlfriend to a salon appointment, he feels immediate attraction. When they later meet by chance at the beach, the two men start up a friendship.

What I loved was the way Mark’s attraction was handled and how he responded to Sam. Yes, he thought Sam was gorgeous but it was actually Sam’s personality that was most attractive to Mark. “He liked Sam. During their time together, he’d come to see him less as on object of lust and more as a warm, personable young man who was easy to get along with.” Mark wasn’t portrayed as a shallow man, just after sex. Rather he had strong morals which he would not sacrifice just for a quickie even when the opportunity was presented to him.

Mark struggles with his attraction to Sam, knowing they can’t be more than friends. But Sam has his own secrets and there is a lot more behind his relationship with his girlfriend than meets the eye. At first I was wary of the typical bitch girlfriend but this story isn’t quite what you expect.

Oh, and one thing I did question was Sam’s tattoo placement, nipple piercings and Prince Albert. For some reason they seemed unexpected for someone so sexually inexperienced and they immediately screamed gay to me (surprise!). Guess I am just stereo-typing! 🙂